The Ghost Cat
by Serpent1
Summary: Wisp saw his mate die at the paws of a mysterious tom and he becomes bent on finding out who it was.
1. Chapter 1

The Ghost Cat

Disclaimer: I do not own Cats the musical or any of its characters.

Chapter 1: Murder

Summer is the best time of the year; most humans and cats could agree on that. The hot sunny days were perfect for having fun and running around while the nights were cool enough that you could sit back and relax without a single care in the world. At least that's what it meant to a human child or a kitten; for Wisp, summer was his favorite season because it was at this time last year he met Swansea, a beautiful calico queen. She was slightly shorter than him, about the same age and she lived near the park in Victoria Grove where Wisp had his home. At first he'd thought she was no different from any other queen in that area; kind of stuck up, snobby, with a little sprinkling of egotism thrown in for good measure. But she had proven him wrong; though her family was quite well off, she didn't have the usual air of cockiness that he'd seen in other queens; she was quite nice to him, easy to talk to and had a great sense of humor. They had started dating soon afterwards and after a year, they had mated.

One thing that had really impressed Wisp was the way she had accepted his powers. At a young age, he had discovered that he was in fact, a magical cat; he could shoot bolts of lightning from his paws, make things move just by looking at them, even make himself invisible among other things. She had been a bit wary of his powers at first; he couldn't blame her, he'd been absolutely terrified when he first found out he had them. But as time passed, she had eventually accepted them.

Tonight Wisp decided to take Swansea down to a fish restaurant just across the Thames River. He had discovered the place purely by accident; he'd been wandering around the area trying to summon up the courage to ask her to mate with him when he'd noticed the smell. Following his nose, he had crossed the bridge and come upon the quaint old building where he found one of the chefs sitting outside having a smoke break. The pungent smell of the cigarette had almost made him turn away when the human had noticed him. Normally, Wisp didn't have much to do with humans but this one seemed nice enough so he had allowed him to stroke his fur for a while before he'd gotten up and gone inside. Wisp had been trying to figure out the best way to get in when the human had returned with a fair sized piece of fish which he had laid on an old tin foil roasting pan. One taste had convinced the silver tom that he had to bring Swansea here.

"Here?" Swansea asked as they approached the quaint old building.

"Yeah, this is it," Wisp answered as he led her to the back door. No one was outside at the moment so Wisp scratched on the door. When that didn't work, he meowed loudly enough that someone inside would hear him. Swansea giggled at how kittenish his meow had sounded; he just shrugged and gave her a look that said, "Hey, it works." Sure enough the door opened then, gently pushing Wisp back and the same human chef came out.

"Hey, you're back again huh?" he asked as he brushed the fur on Wisp's head, "And you brought your girlfriend with you too I see." He petted Swansea before continuing, "We're pretty busy tonight, but I'll see what I can do for you."

As he disappeared back inside, Swansea licked her paw and wiped her head with it, shuddering. "Are his hands always that _grimy_?" she asked. Wisp nodded as he cleaned his own fur. "This is why I don't let humans pet me that much," he said with a note of disgust, "Yuck." The chef returned shortly after with a piece of fish and set it on the roasting pan. "Enjoy," he said and was gone back inside again. The pair settled down and ate the fish, Wisp chuckling to himself when he saw the look on his mate's face when she tasted it. It was like she'd died and gone to heaven.

Once they had finished, they started making their way, paw in paw, back toward the bridge. The moon was full and shone down upon the water like a pale sun. Wisp glanced over at her as they walked and with the moonlight glinting faintly off her fur, she looked even more beautiful than ever. She caught him staring and smiled, walking a bit closer to him.

"Well ain't this sweet," a voice sneered. Turning, they saw three alley toms heading toward them from the shadow of a nearby alleyway. One was brownish black, the second a tabby and the third was smoky gray. Wisp could hear the footsteps of a fourth but he chose to remain hidden in the darkness.

"Where you lovebirds goin'?" the brownish black tom asked, "Takin' a stroll by the water?"

"We were just leaving," Wisp answered evenly and started to lead Swansea away but the tabby and the gray tom stood in their way. The gray tom looked at Swansea and flashed a greasy smirk.

"Hey babe," he said taking her paw, "Whaddaya say you and me have a little fun?" Swansea hissed at him and yanked her paw away. "Don't touch her," Wisp growled.

"Ooo, lover boy's getting tough huh," the tabby said getting in Wisp's face, "What are you going to do about it kitten?"

With a snarl, Wisp hit the tabby in the chest but his paw was open instead of bunched up in a fist. As soon as he touched the other tom, a powerful blast of lightning shot through the tom's body sending him flying backward and Wisp heard a hiss of anger from the tom that remained hidden in the shadows. "GET HIM!" the tom shouted and the other two alley toms jumped Wisp from behind beating him to the ground. Swansea tried to help her mate but the fourth tom finally emerged from the shadows and grabbed her, preventing her from helping him. Wisp tried to get a look at this fourth tom but he could only see glimpses of him; tall, lean and had what looked like silver or black fur. He lashed out viciously at both toms but they were larger and stronger than him; they eventually overpowered him and ended the fight by cracking a rock over Wisp's head.

His vision blurry and his body nearly numb, Wisp felt next to nothing as the group dragged him and Swansea down to the water. He could hear something that sounded like her crying but when he tried to focus, it sent a sharp bolt of pain through his head and he nearly blacked out. He did however manage to clear his vision long enough to see a blurred image of the fourth tom lifting his paw to her throat, followed by a ripping sound which turned into a wet gurgle. Her body twitched then fell limp and though he was close to passing out, he knew what had happened.

"Swansea," he slurred almost drunkenly and the toms simply laughed. The blurry images began to fade as he heard a splash then an even sharper pain shot through his head and he knew no more.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Discovery

The midnight black tom slowly walked along near the edge of the Thames following the floating corpse that was once Wisp's mate. After he had thrown her in the river, Macavity had instructed the three alley toms to dispose of Wisp then headed back to his own lair pleased with himself. Upon arriving, he had instructed this tom to go back to the Thames and make sure the current carried the body out past the next harbor before any other cat found it. The last thing he needed was one of those damned Jellicles finding the body and the tom understood that. Those Jellicles were a constant thorn in the boss's side; in all of their sides to be honest and he would make sure it was not discovered.

So far there had been no sign of any of the Jellicles, or any other cats for that matter and the tom allowed himself to relax. This was a cake walk; he could see the next harbor coming up and once the body reached the last row of ships, he was done. He yawned; he didn't mind doing these types of jobs but sometimes, like tonight, damn was it boring.

"Almost there," he said quietly as he got closer to the harbor. He glanced around casually to see if there were any cats around; there were plenty of humans working on the ships but it didn't make any difference if they found the corpse. He smiled; not a single cat any… His smile faded as he noticed two cats sneaking along through the darkness, each carrying a bag over their shoulders. He recognized them immediately; Mungojerrie and his sister Rumpleteazer. Two of Macavity's best thieves; no, _formerly_ two of the boss's best. They had signed their own death warrants when they'd turned their backs on Macavity and joined the Jellicle tribe. But he didn't have time to think about that; the body was floating toward their side of the river and he didn't dare cross over to push it away. He could only hope they were too busy trying to stay hidden from the humans to notice it.

But this was not his lucky night. He heard Rumpleteazer's characteristic giggle and when Mungo turned to silence her, he stopped when his gaze met the river. The tom cursed under his breath as Mungo moved toward the edge of the river, his head cocked to one side as if he was trying to figure out what he was looking at. The body came a little closer and Teazer put her paw over her mouth in surprise. Then the both of them hurried off, not bothering to keep to the shadows and the black tom cursed again, more loudly this time. The boss would need to know about this.

The junkyard was hive of activity as the tribe cleaned up after the Jellicle Ball. Jenny, Tumblebrutus and Pouncival were putting away the dog, mice and cockroach costumes in the trunk of an old car along with the red sheet Mistoffolees had used to bring back Old Deuteronomy. Pounce was still annoyed at Munkustrap for dropping him on his nose during the Pekes and the Pollicles routine but Jenny reminded him that if he hadn't started swatting at Munkustrap, it wouldn't have happened. "He was already embarrassed enough," she said. "Whatever," Pounce grumbled as he stuffed the red sheet into the trunk. Tumble snickered which earned him a good clout on the head from Pounce.

Tugger usually didn't like helping to clean up like this; it messed up his mane but he found that his fan club enjoyed watching him work. They followed him around now, giggling and purring as he carried the crate Bustopher Jones had sat on during his visit with one arm trying to make himself look strong. Skimble, who was helping Demeter and Bombalurina take down a string of lights nearby, sighed and shook his head.

Munkustrap sat atop the tire that Grizabella had ascended to the Heaviside Layer on the previous night watching everything. His side was really sore from his fight with Macavity and Jenny had warned him not to do much in case he made it worse. He had gone on a few patrols with Alonzo but had banged his injured side against an old freezer near the northern fence. The hit hadn't been too hard but the throbbing afterward had been pure torture. He had told Alonzo to keep patrolling and had made his way back to the tire where he found that sitting was the only position he could manage without aggravating it more. Now that the pain had quieted, he figured he could probably catch up with Alonzo and finish patrolling. As he slowly rose to his feet he noticed Jerrie and Teazer hurrying toward him.

"Munk," Jerrie called as he came running up trying to catch his breath and hide the sack he carried behind his back, "We…we found… a body…in the Thames!"

"Are you sure?" Munkustrap asked. Normally he found it hard to believe anything those two said; they were experts at making up stories and they'd tricked him a few times before. But by the way they were both panting and the worried expressions on their faces, he figured they were telling the truth. Still, it didn't hurt to be certain.

"Course we're sure," Teazer cried standing closer to Jerrie in an effort to conceal her own sack, "It was a queen…same color as me…almost."

Those few words shook the protector to the core. In the back of his mind, he knew Macavity wasn't done yet; the Napoleon of Crime wasn't beaten so easily and the fact that he had struck so soon afterward chilled him. He had meant for the Jellicles to find the poor queen's body; it was a warning that he was coming for them. He nodded his thanks to the calico twins and they hurried off to their den, ignoring the glares they got from some of the other cats. Munkustrap climbed down off the tire, wincing as his side protested and headed off to find Alonzo. They had to be ready for the inevitable attack.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Better Idea

Macavity paced back and forth across the room fuming. The black tom he had sent to watch the bodies and make sure no cat found them had returned and reported that he had only seen one body in the river. The tom the queen had called Wisp was nowhere to be found and on top of that, of all the cats to find her body, it had been Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer that had discovered the remains. No doubt they had already dashed back to the junkyard and warned Munkustrap. His jaw clenched; the very mention of his brother's name angered him. He hadn't forgotten about the Jellicle Ball either; he'd had his brother right where he wanted him and only then did the Jellicles build up enough courage to attack him en masse. Those useless henchcats had already fled, leaving him to fight off the entire tribe alone. He had only been able to escape by blowing out the lights. Those cats had been properly punished of course; he smiled inwardly at the memory of their begging for forgiveness just before he'd ripped their throats out.

But this was not the time for reminiscing. He turned back toward the black tom who had been waiting nervously by the door and snapped, "Tell those three idiots to get their tails in here now."

"Y-Yes sir," the tom stammered and hurried off. The ginger tom went over to his throne and sat down, trying to think of the perfect way to have his revenge on the Jellicle tribe. He scratched one chipped claw along the armrest of the chair; he always did that when he was deep in thought and the more he thought about the Ball and what had happened down at the river, the harder he scratched.

Shortly after he had sat down, the three toms in question walked into the room, all of them wearing worried expressions on their faces. They stopped just inside the doorway and waited, casting nervous glances around the room as if trying to figure out the best way to flee should Macavity be angry with them. The Napoleon of Crime glared at them before slowly rising from his throne and walked methodically over to them.

"What happened at the river?" he asked slowly, trying to contain his anger.

The three toms looked at each other before the grey answered, "We tossed him in the river boss just like you said." In a flash, Macavity smacked him in the face sending the tom crashing to the floor, blood running from his nose.

"Don't lie to me!" Macavity snarled as he turned to the other two, "I was told only the queen's body was seen in the river. What happened to the tom?"

"He-he was starting to come around," the tabby answered quickly, "We started beatin' on him again to knock him out and then a human chased off and took him."

"IDIOTS," Macavity shouted, sending the two toms to their knees quaking with fear, "All you had to do was throw him in the river!"

"We didn't want him to use his magic on us again," the brownish black tom said, his voice almost squeaking. Growling, Macavity grabbed him by the throat and hauled him to his feet.

"He can't use magic if he's drowning," he hissed through clenched teeth. He tightened his grip on the tom's throat and looked down at the others. "I gave you three a simple job and still you screw it up."

"We're sorry boss," the grey said getting up to his knees, "Give us another chance, we'll make it up to ya."

Macavity snorted. "Another chance?" he sneered, "You're sorry? You _failed me_; _all_ of you. And you know the penalty for…"

He didn't finish the sentence. A brilliant idea had struck him. Why hadn't he thought of this before? "You said a human took him," he said in a thoughtful voice, "Where exactly?"

"Probably to a vet," the tabby said. Macavity let go of the brownish black tom's throat and turned away, the idea forming in his head seeming so simple and so obvious. He had seen how powerful Wisp's magic was; he could prove to be quite useful. He waved his paw dismissively over his shoulder and barely heard the three toms scampering off. Yes; this was a much better idea.

The shelter was dark and quiet. All the sick and injured animals that humans had brought there were asleep; some naturally, others with the help of sedatives. Fortunately, Wisp hadn't needed any; the vet there had said that he had been lucky; only a very slight concussion and a few bruises. Since he didn't have a home, once he was better, the vet would put him up for adoption. He had put the silver tom in a wire cage so he could keep a better eye on him and before he had closed up the shelter for night, he'd put the cage in his office so he could rest better.

"_Wisp…_"

The silver tom opened his eyes and groggily lifted his head. What was that voice? Was the vet back for something? Or was he dreaming?

"_Wisp,_"

No, he was not dreaming; he clearly heard it that time. He looked around the darkened office but saw nothing. "Who's there?" he asked. No answer. What the hell was going on?

"_I'm in your mind Wisp,_" the voice said after a moment, "_And no, you're not going crazy. I'm a friend and I want to help you._"

A friend? "How did you get in my mind?" Wisp asked, "And who are you?"

"_I'm magical,_" the voice answered as if it was obvious, "_And who I am is not important right now. I'm here because I can help you._"

"Help me?" Wisp asked, "How?"

"_I saw the one who killed your mate,_" the voice said. Wisp's heart leaped and he ignored the bolt of pain that shot through his head as he got to his feet. "You saw him?" he asked, "Who is he?"

"_You know of the Jellicle tribe don't you?_" the voice asked.

"Yes," Wisp said, his suspicion growing, "What about them?"

"_The one you seek is their Protector. His name…is Munkustrap._"

Wisp felt a soft growl stirring in his throat. "Are you sure it was him?" he asked.

"_I'm positive,_" the voice answered. So, this Munkustrap was the one who had killed Swansea. And those other toms that were with him were probably Jellicles too. No matter; he would find them. Find them and make them pay for what they'd done to him.

"_The toms that were with him were also Jellicles; except for one,_" the voice said, confirming Wisp's suspicions, "_His conjurer Mistoffolees changed their appearance and voice so no one would recognize them._"

"Who are they?" Wisp wanted to know.

"_One is called Skimbleshanks,_" the voice said, "_From what I remember; he's been seen mostly around the trains. The other…is Mungojerrie. Normally, he does not go anywhere without his sister Rumpleteazer. You can find them around Victoria Grove._"

Wisp growled again. He knew Victoria Grove quite well and should be able to find those two easily. "Thank you," he said quietly to the voice, "I truly appreciate this." The voice chuckled and said, "_Glad to be of service,_" and was gone.

The silver tom stretched himself as much as he could and willed the pain in his head to stop. He lifted his paw and a bolt of lightning shot out and blew the simple lock off the cage, swinging the door open. He quickly stepped out, not wanting to cause any more commotion than necessary and stared up at the office door. In his mind, he pictured the locking mechanism and imagined the inner workings turning and twisting to unlock the door. Seconds later, he was rewarded with a quiet _click._ He then focused on the doorknob and pictured it turning making the door open. Stepping out into the hallway, he glanced left then right and was able to get his bearings fairly quickly. He padded down the hallway to the waiting room and hid just behind the desk as he noticed a car pulling up out front. A human, probably the vet, got out and came to the front door producing a set of keys from his pocket. As he turned the keys in the lock, Wisp made himself invisible and moved toward the door, waiting for his chance. As the vet opened the door and stepped inside, Wisp darted out between the vets left leg and the door frame, lightly brushing against the fabric of the man's pants. The vet paused, looking down at the ground where he had felt the brush and seeing nothing, continued inside locking the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Fighting a Ghost

As soon as Wisp had gotten out of the animal shelter, he headed straight for Victoria Grove as quickly as his body would allow. He remained invisible; the last thing he needed was to be caught by one of the humans that regularly captured stray cats like him and took them to the pound. Once there, you never got out. The pain in his head had slowly returned building up to a dull, annoying throb which forced him to slow down a little. It didn't matter really; dawn was just breaking over the city's skyline and the silver tom decided that when he got back to his home he would rest for the day and go hunting for Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer that night. Somehow he figured he wouldn't see either of those two during the day anyway.

As he padded along the streets, Wisp couldn't help but wonder who the magical cat was that had spoken to him in his mind tonight. Sure he had heard of there being other magical cats like himself but he'd never thought that he'd meet one much less meet one like that. It seemed as if that tom was hiding something; he wanted to help Wisp but there was something else there that he couldn't get his claws on. A hidden agenda as the humans say. Why couldn't he tell Wisp who he was? Was he afraid that Munkustrap would somehow find out and come after him? Was Munkustrap himself magical in a way? All these questions and more flooded Wisp's mind, distracting him from the pain in his head and where he was going; however, as if his body was on auto pilot, he soon found himself wandering through the quiet, clean streets of Victoria Grove. Well, _cleaner_ than the downtown streets of London anyway. Arriving at the park, he looked around for a little while just to make sure there were no human cat hunters around then he padded toward the small pipe near the north end of the park that served as his home and lay down inside. As he closed his eyes, he once again willed that annoying throb in his head to stop.

The night air was cool and refreshing as the calico twins silently padded along through Victoria Grove. They had just finished catching some mice in the Jellicle's hunting ground and had decided to check out a new family that had recently moved into the area. Jerrie had scouted out the place earlier during the day; the house was just down the block from the park and from the looks of it, this family was a bit richer than some of the others. The movers hadn't finished bringing everything in yet but from what he'd seen earlier, it was enough. So that night they padded quickly toward the house, not speaking, as they had gone over their plan for getting in and out while they were eating. They slipped in between the bars of the gates out front and trotted over to a basement window on the east side. It seemed as if the family wanted to air out the basement a little before they finished moving in; the musty air wafting out made them both wrinkle their noses. 

Using a claw, Jerrie quietly cut a large slit in the screening on the window and pulled it open wide enough so Teazer could fit through and he followed right behind her. The basement door at the top of a wooden set of stairs was open; probably to help the air flow and they padded right into the hallway and started to look around. Most of the things there were still in boxes but thankfully, some of the more important things were already unpacked. Upstairs in the master bedroom, a large jewelry box was sitting on the dresser which immediately caught Teazer's eye. She hopped up onto the dresser, opened the box and began looking through it. There were pearl necklaces, gold rings and bracelets and beautiful diamond earrings inside just to name a few. For a moment, Teazer couldn't decide which thing she wanted most but in the end, she picked up the earrings. Jerrie meanwhile wandered into the living room jumping up on top of a couch armrest to have a look in a box that was sitting on the floor next to it. It was filled with china but he left it; he and Teazer hadn't brought their sacks tonight so they could only take small things. Looking over toward the dining room he noticed a nice leather studded collar sitting on the table. The family hadn't brought this with them; it still had the price tag on it. No matter; he jumped off the couch and made his way over to the dining room chairs where he jumped up on one then up onto the table and picked up the collar. Hmm, dark red usually wasn't his color but he figured it would look better once he wore it for a while.

Jumping off the table, he headed back to the basement door where Teazer sat waiting for him. She smiled at the collar in his paw and showed him the earrings she had taken from upstairs. He could tell she was dying to giggle with excitement but he put his paw to his lips, motioning for her to stay quiet and they hurried down the stairs, back out through the screen in the window and between the bars of the gate. As soon as they were far enough away from the house, Teazer finally began to giggle.

"You should've seen the stuff they had in that bedroom," she said as she looked at her new earrings.

"We'll go back in a couple of days," Jerrie said as he tried strapping on his new collar, "Let them get settled first. Oh come on you blasted thing…"

"Here," Teazer said as they stopped and she finished putting on the collar for him. It felt a little stiff but considering it was brand new, it was to be expected.

"You're not going to try them on?" he asked noticing that Teazer still held the earrings in her paw.

"Not yet," she answered, "I'm going to wait till we get back to the junkyard first."

They continued down the street toward the park, passing a few quaint shops here and there and as they neared the park, a stone suddenly flew out of the nearby alleyway and struck Jerrie on the head. "Ow," Jerrie cried turning towards the alley. He couldn't see anything and he figured it was just some stupid young alley tom trying to be smart. Ignoring it, he and Teazer turned away and continued walking. Seconds later, another stone flew at them; this one thrown a little harder than the first and bounced off Teazer's head. She cried out as well and they both turned to the alley again. Jerrie was about to say something when a third stone flew out at them, missing them completely this time but they both distinctly heard soft laughter coming from the darkness.

"Stupid punk kit," Jerrie said angrily and marched toward the alley. Teazer came up behind him and grabbed his arm. "Jerrie don't," she said, "You don't know what's in there. He could have a bunch of his mates waiting for you."

"I'm not going to let some kit make a fool outta us," Jerrie snapped back. He turned to continue towards the alley but as soon as he did, something punched him squarely in the jaw knocking him flat on his back dazed. Before Teazer could move, it was as if the night itself split open as a large silver tom just _appeared_ right in front of her. She let out a small shriek of surprise which was cut off as the tom grabbed her by the throat forcing her to drop the earrings as she gripped his wrist in a vain attempt to free herself.

Jerrie shook his head, clearing the cobwebs and saw what was happening. Snarling, he got to his feet and lunged at the tom who shoved Teazer away and vanished again just as Jerrie leaped at him. Jerrie felt only air as he landed on the ground a short distance away and spun around. What the hell was that? He started to go over to check on his sister when invisible paws gripped his right shoulder and the scruff of his neck and threw him to the ground. Again, the silver tom reappeared, standing over Jerrie and raised his right foot like he was going crush Jerrie's skull beneath it. Jerrie dodged out of the way and the tom missed but no sooner had Jerrie gotten up than the tom struck again. He held out his paw and a bolt of lightning shot out barely missing the calico tom as he dove aside and this time when Jerrie lunged, he tackled the silver tom to the ground.

He and the silver tom rolled over and over but this tom was much stronger and he pinned Jerrie to the ground and began pummeling him viciously. Teazer, having caught her breath, got to her feet and leaped onto the silver tom's back. He rose to his feet, thrashing and whirling trying to throw her off but she held tight. At least she had gotten him away from her brother for a moment. Finally he reached up and grabbed two pawfuls of her headfur and yanked her off. She slammed down onto the ground but the tom held her headfur tight pulling her up to a sitting position and quickly grabbed her chin with his right paw while holding the back of her head with his left. She realized what he was going to do and began squirming around frantically to break free. She clawed at his arms and he released her but as she got up, a lightning bolt slammed into her back sending her flying across the street where she crashed to the ground.

"No!" Jerrie screamed as he charged the tom again. Once again, the tom disappeared before Jerrie could reach him and belted Jerrie in the back of his head as he landed. Jerrie stumbled but did not fall. He spun around and found himself face to face with this tom; this _ghost cat_. It was the only way Jerrie could describe him; fighting him was like fighting a ghost. Jerrie tried to throw a punch but the tom slapped his paw against Jerrie's chest sending a blast of…_something_…through him and tossing him nearly on top of Teazer. Slowly the silver tom stalked toward them, his paws crackling with lightning and a look of intense hatred in his blue eyes. Neither twin could move as the tom's paw extended toward them…

"Hey!" a voice shouted and the tom's head turned. Jerrie and Teazer weakly turned as well to see where the voice had come from. They both saw Alonzo and Plato hurrying toward them but when they turned back toward the tom he was gone. They both collapsed as the other Jellicles came running up to them. 

"Who was that?" Plato asked as he and Alonzo helped Jerrie and Teazer up.

"We don't know," Teazer answered wincing from the pain, "He just attacked me and Jerrie for no reason."

"Let's get back to the junkyard," Alonzo said, drapping Jerrie's arm over his shoulder, "Munkustrap will definitely need to know about this."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Train to Catch

The four Jellicles returned to the junkyard a short while later and, as luck would have it; Munkustrap was just finishing his patrol by the main gate when they arrived. Both Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were pretty banged up and the instant he saw them, Munk was sure it had been Macavity's doing. He helped Alonzo and Plato take the twins over to Jenny's den so she could clean and dress their injuries, brushing off inquiries by several of the tribe, and asked them what happened. They told him a ghost cat had attacked them just outside the park in Victoria Grove while they were on their way back to the junkyard. What they were doing in Victoria Grove in the first place though they didn't say. Naturally, he had been a bit skeptical considering where this information was coming from, and from the look of the new collar Jerrie wore he had a fairly good idea, so he took Alonzo and Plato outside and asked them what they had seen.

"They're telling the truth Munk," Plato said, "When we got there, they were being attacked by this big silver tom. Alonzo yelled at him and he just disappeared."

"He had lightning bolts dancing around his paws too when we saw him," Alonzo added, "We knew then he was a magic cat."

Munkustrap frowned. "And there was no sign of Macavity anywhere?" he asked. Both toms shook their heads. "Did you get close enough to get a look at his eyes?" was his next question. Alonzo nodded. "They were clear," he said.

Munk sighed in frustration. "Thanks," he said and the two toms went off back to their duties. Clear eyes meant that this Ghost Cat was not being controlled by Macavity's hypnosis and that's what puzzled him the most. This whole incident had Macavity's name written all over it but if he wasn't being hypnotized, why had he attacked Jerrie and Teazer so brutally? He went back inside Jenny's den to check on Jerrie and Teazer who were both resting comfortably.

"They'll be alright," Jenny told him, "The burns on Teazer's back are only mild and Jerrie's bruises should be gone in a couple of days." Munk nodded and left, heading back to his own den to think. On the bright side, at least this attack would keep the twins out of his fur for a while but he didn't think it would be too long before they were up to their antics again. The important thing now though was figuring out how Macavity was involved with this and what they were going to do about it.

About an hour later, he came out of his den and called the tribe together to tell them what had happened and what he had decided to do. "As some of you know already," he began standing on top of the tire, "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were attacked tonight in Victoria Grove by a magical cat." Murmurs rippled through the assembled tribe and Victoria asked, "Are they alright?"

"They're fine," Munk answered before continuing, "I'm fairly certain that Macavity is involved with this attack and that he is somehow controlling this tom. I don't know what his plans might be but we must be prepared nonetheless. So until we can resolve this, no one is to leave the junkyard alone. Always go in groups of three or four and do not stay on the streets for too long. I'll organize more patrols of the junkyard in case this "Ghost Cat" as Jerrie and Teazer call him is sent here. Any questions?"

There were none so Munk nodded and hopped down off the tire. The tribe began to break up and return to what they were originally doing talking amongst themselves about what had occurred. Munk was talking to Coricopat and Tantomile about helping out with a few patrols when Jenny came up to him.

"Munk, I almost forgot," she said, "Skimble left for the train station shortly before you called the meeting."

"Do you know what time he'll be back?" he asked.

"Around six in the morning," she answered and he could see the nervousness in her eyes at the thought of her mate being out on the streets alone with the Ghost Cat running around.

"Alright," he said, "I'll send Mistoffolees and Tugger to meet him when the train gets back."

"Thank you," Jenny said with a nervous smile and headed back to her den. Munk watched her go and bit his lower lip. Even with all this preparation, he wondered if it would be enough.

Back at Macavity's lair, the Hidden Paw sat in his throne listening to a report from the black tom that he had sent to watch Wisp and see if his plan was working out. The tom had been stationed on the roof of a building next to the alleyway where Wisp was hidden and had seen the attack. Macavity was impressed; this tom was more useful than he thought. Both Jerrie and Teazer were no slouches when it came to fighting but Wisp had handled them fairly easily. If Alonzo and Plato hadn't interfered, there would've been two less Jellicles to worry about but that was trivial. He dismissed the tom with orders to send in the tabby who had been with him the night Swansea had been killed saying he had a "special assignment" for him. The tom looked fairly uncomfortable but did as he was told.

A few minutes later, the tabby walked in and found Macavity waiting for him with a smile on his face. Already he didn't like where this was going. The brownish black tom had been sent on a mission to retrieve something from the east end of London which was renowned as being Pollicle territory. He hadn't been heard from in a few days and no one had bothered to go looking for him. 

"You wanted to see me boss?" he asked trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"Yes," Macavity answered, his smile looking crueler by the minute, "I have a…special assignment for you." The tabby gulped. Those were the exact same words the brownish black tom had said when he'd asked him what the boss wanted. 

"I want you to go down to the train station and make sure Wisp can find Skimbleshanks," Macavity said, "And…report back to me when it's over."

The tabby relaxed. He'd been afraid that this "special assignment" was going to be his death warrant but it looked like he'd been wrong. This was going to be easy; he could lure Skimble outside, get him away from the train and when Wisp showed up, he could what he wanted. "Sure boss," he said confidently, "No problem."

"Then don't you have a train to catch?" Macavity asked smoothly. The tabby nodded once and hurried off. Macavity watched him go and chuckled quietly. 

Anger burned brightly in Wisp's heart as he hurried down toward the train station. Damn those two Jellicles; he'd had Jerrie and Teazer right where he'd wanted them and they had ruined everything. He couldn't take a chance in attacking them in case the twins got a second wind. Two against one he could handle; four on one, forget it. He growled; Skimbleshanks would get an even worse beating for this, he'd make sure of it. The scratch Teazer had given him on his left arm still hurt but it only served to fuel his anger. And once Skimble was out of the way, he would go after Munkustrap full force. No Jellicle would stop him.

Skimble was glad he had left the junkyard early in order to get to the train ahead of the workers. He found he enjoyed the relative quiet before all the commotion when the passengers arrived and started boarding. He'd lost count of how many times humans had stepped on his tail when they were getting on or off the train or how many kids had nearly tripped over him as he darted between their legs trying to get out of the way. He wandered now through the second car on his way to the third, his usual area though he patrolled the entire train once it was moving, glancing in at the cabins to see if the crew had done their jobs properly. Naturally they had and he walked on toward the door that separated the second from the third and opened it, stepping out onto the platform between the two cars.

A movement caught his eye and he stopped. Peering around the side of the third car, he noticed a tom walking along by the train peeking in between the cars and underneath them looking for something. It was a tabby; one of Macavity's alley toms by the looks of him. What was he doing here? And what was he looking for? Watching him a while longer he rephrased the question from what to _who_. The answer was simple enough; the tabby was looking for _him_. Why he didn't know and frankly, didn't care. If the tabby was looking for a fight then he was going to find one.

_Where is that stupid tom_, the tabby thought to himself as he looked in between the fourth and third cars then crouched down and looked underneath. He'd scoured almost this entire train and there was no sign of Skimbleshanks anywhere. Even the luggage van was empty. He was starting to get annoyed and decided that once he reached the engine, he would sneak aboard and look inside. He began to move toward the platform between the third and second car, where Skimbleshanks was waiting, when he heard a crunch in the gravel to his right. He stopped and turned but all he could see was the trainyard and a few crates here and there. _Must be hearing things_, he thought and turned away. Seconds later, something crashed into him like a runaway freight train, slamming him against the side of the third car. His head bounced off the metal and he was dazed for a moment. The daze wore off quickly as he found himself being pummeled by invisible fists and bloody cuts and scratches were opening on his face and body before he was grabbed by his neck and hurled face first into the gravel.

Hearing the noise, Skimble looked out from around the side of the third car and was shocked to see the tabby being attacked by…nothing. His was flopping around like he was being hit and almost screaming in pain each time but there was nothing there that could be doing that to him. For a moment, Skimble thought that maybe this tom had gotten into the catnip but what he saw next crushed that thought. The tabby's head suddenly lifted slightly and he clutched at something that had him by the throat. The yard was then lit up almost like day as lightning poured through the tabby's body making him writhe and scream in utter agony. It didn't last long and then the tom flew through the air, crashing to the ground beside the platform where Skimble stood. His body twitched and was bleeding from several wounds as his glassy eyes looked up at Skimble and he weakly whispered, "Help me."

Footsteps crunching through the gravel got Skimble's attention and he looked up just in time to see the Ghost Cat seemingly appear out of nowhere and make his way over to the prone tom. The tabby whimpered and tried to get away but the silver tom seized him by his headfur, pulled him into a sitting position and moved around behind him. He gripped the tabby's chin with one paw and held onto his head with the other then turned his head to the left. He snarled and yanked his arms back twisting the tabby's head in the opposite direction. Skimble heard a loud sickening crack and watched open mouthed as the tabby's body collapsed quivering. Slowly the Ghost Cat's head turned toward the Railway Cat and his hate filled blue eyes locked onto Skimble's shocked glass green eyes. The silver tom snarled at Skimble and disappeared again. The orange tabby barely heard the soft footsteps as the Ghost Cat moved off; he could only stare at the bloody corpse of the tabby.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Learning the Truth

Chapter 6: Learning the Truth

Every henchcat and alley tom that was loyal to Macavity stood in a group outside the lair nervous and excited at the same time. The boss had heard about the tabby's death, though they all knew it had been arranged that way, and now they figured it was time for them to invade the junkyard. They whispered amongst themselves as to how they were going to do it and some even joked about after they had won, which Jellicle queens they were going to take as their own. The whispering and joking stopped however as Macavity appeared and he stood in front of them like a general addressing his troops.

"The time has come," he said with a smirk, "The Ghost Cat now believes that Skimbleshanks is dead and he will be going after Munkustrap next." He noticed the frowns appear on some of their faces; the Jellicles and especially their protector had been a thorn in their sides for too long. If all went right, that thorn would finally be pulled out.

"So how we gonna do it?" a tom asked and Macavity chuckled. "We aren't going to _do_ anything," he answered, earning him some confused looks and mutterings. It was irritating that he had to explain himself to these cats but then, what did he expect? "The best way to kill a snake is to cut off its head," Macavity said slowly and simply, "When Munkustrap is dead, the Jellicles will fall apart. Then, we will have no trouble in taking what is rightfully ours." The toms snickered and some even laughed; now they understood. Macavity sighed and shook his head; it was so hard to find good help nowadays. Correction; it was hard to find _intelligent_ help nowadays. Brawn could only get you so far; you had to have the brains to back it up.

"Now," he continued, "we will head for the junkyard tonight but you all will remain hidden until I signal you."

"But they'll see you," the same tom said, "I was near there the other day and they're patrolling the place a lot more."

"I know that," Macavity said, wondering just how stupid this tom thought he was. Did he actually think he was going to show himself before Wisp got to Munkustrap? Again, the trouble with finding intelligent help. "But don't you think they'll be a bit _distracted_ when our friend is dismantling their protector?" The tom's face lit up and Macavity nodded, making a mental note to assign another "special assignment" after this was over. "Back inside," he ordered the rest of them, "We move out tonight."

_Two down, one to go,_ Wisp thought as he sat quietly in the shadow of crate cleaning his claws. Skimbleshanks had never known what hit him and that was just the way he wanted it. In honesty, it had been almost too easy to kill that tom; it was as if he had been sent there so Wisp could kill him. Odd; but he wasn't complaining. He was still a little steamed at not being able to finish off Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer but he doubted those two would ever get in his way again so there was no need to worry about them. All he needed to think about now was getting his claws on Munkustrap. Although, there was another problem; once Munkustrap was dead, what was he going to do then? He couldn't just go back to his old life like nothing had happened. What he was doing now would haunt him the rest of his life and most likely other Jellicles would be coming after him for revenge. Maybe he had gone too far in killing Skimble. Maybe it was enough to make Munkustrap terrified of him so he wouldn't bother him again. He glanced down at his paws and sighed.

A voice cut through his thoughts and he quickly got to his feet and peered around the edge of the crate. Two toms were walking through the yard looking like they were waiting for something. One was a large Maine Coon, about as tall as Wisp himself, and he didn't look too impressed with being there. The other…Wisp felt his heart beat faster and his anger rise up; it was the Jellicle's conjurer, Mistoffolees. He resisted the urge to go after them; he had no idea what kind of power Mistoffolees had but he could feel the strength of it wafting off the small cat even as far away as he was.

"Come on Skimble, hurry up and get back here," the Maine Coon complained, "It's gotta be close to six now isn't it?" Mistoffolees just nodded and the Maine Coon huffed and leaned on the nearby crate folding his arms across his chest.

Skimble? That wasn't right; he'd just killed Skimble. Hadn't he? Wisp continued to watch as Mistoffolees began moving about probably to distance himself from the Coon's complaining when he suddenly called out to him. "Over here," he said, "It's one of Macavity's henchcats." The Maine Coon hurried over. Using his invisibility, Wisp crept closer, curious as to what they were going to say. They'd found the twisted body of the tom that Wisp thought was Skimble.

"Whoa," the Maine Coon said, "What in Heaviside happened to him? He looks like he was mauled by a gang of Pollicles."

"No," Mistoffolees said, "This was done by a cat Tugger. Look at the claw marks."

"Macavity," Tugger said, his voice growing dark. "Maybe," Mistoffolees said, "Or it could've been that Ghost Cat that Jerrie and Teazer saw."

A train whistle ended their conversation and Wisp sat down again confused. What the hell was going on? That voice had told him that Skimble was always seen down at the train station and that Mistoffolees had changed him into that tabby as a way of hiding who he was. And who the hell was that orange tom he'd seen before he'd gone off to clean his paws? Was that Skimble? No, no he couldn't be. He stood up again as the train came to a stop and the same orange tom came out, grimacing at the body of the tabby as he came up to the others.

"About time you got here Skimble," Tugger said irritably. The orange tom ignored him and turned away from the body. "The Ghost Cat got him," he said and glanced around as if expecting Wisp to still be there. They didn't say anymore and began to leave. Moving quickly and quietly, Wisp followed them. He wanted to talk to Munkustrap face to face and find out exactly what was going on.

About an hour later, they arrived back at the junkyard. Wisp hung back, allowing them to go in through the main gates and wondered if he was doing the right thing. There was a good chance that as soon as he walked in there, all the Jellicles would attack and kill him on the spot. On the other paw, they might not. _Never know till you try,_ he thought and glancing up at the two cats sitting on junkpiles overlooking the gate began walking towards it.

There hadn't been anything happening for the last few hours and Coricopat was starting to get bored. He and his sister didn't mind helping Munkustrap out now and again but even they had their limits. He yawned and looked toward the horizon; the reddish light of predawn told him that his vigil was almost over; Munk would be coming soon and he and Tantomile could go and get some sleep. He turned back to watching the gate when he noticed something coming out of the alley across the street. A tom; large, silver and transparent. His eyes widened and he looked over at his sister who was wearing the same expression. With a nod, she jumped down off her perch and raced across the junkyard to warn Munkustrap. The Ghost Cat was here.

Munkustrap acted quickly; he told Jenny and Jelly to take the kittens and hide them, Plato and Alonzo were to come with him as backup and he stationed other cats, including Coricopat and Tantomile, around the perimeter of the clearing in case the Ghost Cat attacked them. He knew this would happen; Macavity had done something to this poor tom and convinced him that the Jellicles were at fault. But that was neither here or there; they had to be ready. With everyone in place, Munk stood in the center of the junkyard clearing watching the main gate and waiting for the Ghost Cat to make his move.

He didn't wait long. Tantomile called down that the silver tom had come through the gate and walking towards the three. Munk took a deep breath and steadied himself; if this tom was half as powerful as he had been told he was, Plato and Alonzo would not be enough. Making a quick decision, he turned and waved over Mistoffolees which made all of them feel a little better. At least now they had someone who could go paw to paw with the silver tom; magically anyway. As soon as the small tux arrived, the Ghost Cat appeared almost directly in front of Munk, his silver face an expressionless mask.

He casually glanced around at the other cats then back to the protector. "I see you've been expecting me," he said, his voice almost a growl. "In a way," Munk said, keeping his voice calm. The silver tom's eyes narrowed and a soft growl finally stirred in his throat.

"Why did you kill her?" he demanded.

"I didn't," Munk said evenly. The Ghost Cat gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, causing lightning bolts to dance over his paws. Mistoffolees readied himself as did Alonzo and Plato.

"Don't…_lie to me,_" the silver tom hissed through clenched teeth.

"I am not lying," Munk said putting the pieces together, "You're being set up by Macavity. He's the one who killed your mate."

"And why should I believe you?" the silver tom asked, clearly restraining himself from throttling Munkustrap right there and then.

"Who told you that Munkustrap was the killer?" Mistoffolees countered. The Ghost Cat glared at the small tux and he could see the anger quiet down slightly. "I don't know who he was," he answered, "He wouldn't tell me. He was simply a voice in my mind."

"What did his voice sound like?" Munk asked.

"Rough," the Ghost Cat answered, a confused expression appearing on his face, "That night…the murderer had a…horrible laugh." He turned his head and shut his eyes, trying to remember that night. His memory was fuzzy but he could still see the vague shape of the killer and his beloved as he reached up and tore out her throat. He tried harder to focus and gradually, the fuzziness began to clear. This wasn't right; Munkustrap's fur was dark yes, but the tom in his mind was _all dark_ and the only dark colors on Munk's fur were his black stripes. And that laugh…it was horrible…and rough. Just like the voice he'd heard when he was in the shelter; and he had heard it chuckle before saying "Glad to be of service." The chuckle sounded very similar to the murderer's laugh. In fact, it was _exactly _the same. He opened his eyes again and they were filled with recognition and fury as he snarled the true murderer's name.

"Macavity…"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Fury of the Ghost Cat

Chapter 7: Fury of the Ghost Cat

He'd been set up. Played for a fool; nothing more than a pawn in Macavity's twisted game. His entire body trembled as lightning crackled and even spat out from around his clenched paws. His mind whirled with confusion and rage and he found himself beginning to fidget and finally turned away from Munkustrap and began walking toward the main gate. Macavity was as good as dead; he would tear him apart piece by piece and anyone that got in his way would die as well. The Jellicles were of no consequence now; they meant nothing to him. All he cared about was getting his claws on Swansea's true murderer.

"Wait!" Munkustrap called but Wisp ignored him. As he neared the gate, five or six Jellicles, albeit a bit reluctantly, came down off the piles of junk and stood in his way. He glared at the cat directly in front of him, the Maine Coon they called Tugger and snarled, "Get out of my way."

"Look bro," Tugger said, holding his paws out in a non threatening manner, "We know what you're thinkin' and there's no way you can take Mac out by yourself."

"Get…out…of my way," Wisp repeated and he could see the fear growing in Tugger's eyes as well as the other Jellicles. "Sorry man," Tugger said, "It ain't gonna happen."

"Really," Wisp said and flung his arms out like he was throwing open a set of curtains; the six Jellicles in front of him all flew off to the sides landing in two heaps. He resumed walking toward the now clear gates when he vaguely heard footsteps behind him and a paw gripped his left shoulder. He shrugged off the paw and whirled around furious that they were trying to stop him and was face to face with Munkustrap again.

"Tugger is right," he said, keeping his voice firm but calm, "If you go after Macavity alone, it'll be suicide."

"I don't care," Wisp snapped, "If you were in my paws, you'd be doing the exact same thing."

Munkustrap sighed. The Ghost Cat had a point; he remembered how angry he'd been when he first found out what Macavity had done to Demeter; he wasn't as bad as this tom was but he was pretty close. Still, he would not allow him to go after the ginger tom alone.

"Look, um…"

"Wisp," came the half growled response.

"Wisp," Munk began again, "I know Macavity better than you do. I can tell you from experience getting into his lair and actually finding him is impossible. You'd be dead before you got all four paws inside."

The anger in his eyes seemed to fade a little and he glanced away from Munkustrap and took a breath to steady himself. "Then what should I do?" he asked.

"Tell me what Macavity told you when you were in the shelter," Munk said. Wisp thought for a moment then answered, "He said he saw you kill Swansea. And that Mungojerrie and Skimbleshanks were with you. Mistoffolees had changed their appearance and their voices so they wouldn't be recognized."

_The tabby down at the train station_. That was why Wisp had attacked him along with Jerrie and Teazer so brutally; Macavity had told him they were responsible for Swansea's murder. And now, he had been sent to kill Munk himself. It all made sense; this was Macavity's grand scheme for what happened at the Ball. Murder Wisp's mate, tell him lies to get him angry enough to kill then send him after the one he despised the most. And with the power that he had been told Wisp possessed, Munk was actually glad that Mistoffolees didn't have to go paw to paw with him. But that was beside the point. He had a feeling that Macavity was going to be on his way there once the sun set; he usually preferred to strike at night which meant that he had to get the junkyard ready.

The day wore on and slowly the sun began to descend for the night. As the cover of darkness fell, a group of alley toms and henchcats moved out from the Hidden Paw's lair and started to make their way across town to the Jellicle's junkyard. Macavity, at their head, couldn't help smiling to himself. This plan was so brilliant he should've thought of it on the night of the Ball; come to think of it, it would've been perfect. The Ghost Cat's powers were truly remarkable and coupled with the frenzy he'd been worked into from his mate's death made him even more dangerous. He could've killed two birds with one stone as the humans say. Or more specifically, he would've gotten rid of the Jellicles and taken the junkyard for himself all in one fell swoop. Ah well, it didn't matter now; Munkustrap was probably dead and the junkyard would be in total disarray by the time they got there. All they would have to do is just walk right in and take over.

They approached the junkyard from the northern fence and spread out to surround it from all sides. Moving quietly, Macavity slunk forward and began to climb the piles of junk. Odd; there was no sound coming from the junkyard; he would've expected to hear shouts and screams and maybe see a flash or two of lightning here and there but there was nothing. He started to think that maybe something went wrong; maybe the Ghost Cat had had a change of heart, or maybe he had figured out the truth. Or perhaps the Jellicles had killed him. _No,_ he chided himself, _there's nothing wrong here. He's had all day to do his damage. He's probably wiped them all out already and moved on._

He reached the top of the junk pile and looked out over the top. He felt the smile cross his face and his heart leapt for joy at the sight he was greeted with; the Jellicles lying all over the place, some twisted in amongst piles of junk, the rest strewn about the clearing, all of them dead. Macavity scanned the bodies from his vantage point and laughed when he saw Munkustrap's crumpled form, lying face down almost in the center of the clearing. The clearing itself was quite torn up as well; the Ghost Cat had definitely been busy but the result was amazing. He signaled his group and they emerged from hiding all climbing onto the junk piles and looking in awe at the carnage below. They slid down into the clearing and started moving around the bodies, still amazed at what they saw.

"The junkyard is ours," Macavity cried out and a cheer went up from the group. He walked over to the body of his brother and casually kicked it over onto its back. "Did you actually think you could win," he asked the corpse as he crouched down next to it, "Ah you Jellicles are pathetic. It's a pity though; I wish I could've seen the look on your face just before that dupe finished you off."

_Clink_

A loud noise startled everyone; it sounded like something falling off of one of the junk piles but nothing had moved.

_Clink, Clank_

There it was again; louder this time. Macavity rose to his feet and looked around while some of his alley toms shivered. All was quiet and suddenly a piece of metal flew up from the ground and smacked a tom in the back.

"What the…" the tom cried when a second tom was hit then a third. "This place is haunted!" the third tom said fearfully and some of them began to climb the piles again.

"Get down here," Macavity shouted and the cowards slid down with a fearful and guilty look on their faces. "It is not haunted. There must be a Jellicle still alive somewhere. Spread out and find it!"

The group reluctantly began to grope through the junk piles and inside the Jellicle's dens searching for the supposed cat that was still alive. The search took them an hour but they came back to Macavity empty pawed. The ginger tom growled and shouted, "Whoever is out there, show yourself!" There was no movement and one tom glanced down at a body, which happened to be Pouncival, which was lying near him and said quietly, "All we need now is for these dead Jellicles to come back to life." As if in response, Pounce's eyes snapped open and he looked up at the startled alley tom, smiled and said, "Boo,"

The tom screamed and as the rest of the group turned, all of the seemingly dead Jellicles got back to their feet and attacked Macavity's group. Some were taken down before they even knew what hit them and to Macavity's own shock, Munkustrap got to his feet and said, "Hello brother," before belting him in the face and sending him sprawling. The ginger tom quickly recovered however and hissed viciously; this was all an elaborate trap and he had fallen right into it. No matter; at least now he had the pleasure of killing his brother himself.

The kittens who were amongst the "bodies" before the trap was sprung quickly got out of harms way but Jemima found herself grabbed by the tail by the grey tom and yanked back before she got to the safety of Jenny's den. The Gumbie Cat wanted to come out and save her but there was no way she could get to her in time; add to that the fact that she had to help Jelly keep the other kittens from rushing out to help their friend. He smiled as he saw the terror in her eyes and raised his paw to slash her throat. Seconds later, he knocked back by…something…and when Jemima turned and looked up, Wisp had appeared right behind her. She scampered between his legs and the Ghost Cat shoved her with his back foot sending her sliding and tumbling into Jenny's den before he charged the stunned grey tom.

The grey tom got to his feet just in time to be punched in the jaw with such force it sent him spinning in the air before he crashed to the ground. Relentless, the Ghost Cat seized him by his headfur and hauled him up only to smash his face back down into the ground, breaking his nose. Again he was pulled up and he desperately swiped out at the silver tom. Wisp easily ducked underneath his blow and unleashed a series and swipes and punches that knocked him down again then knelt over top of him and pounded him as hard as he could. Finally, with the grey's blood covering his paws, Wisp pulled him into a sitting position and snapped his neck then shoved his limp form aside.

The other Jellicles were having a fairly easy time dealing with Macavity's alley toms as most were still shocked at seeing dead cats come to life again. Skimble threw one tom into the side of a car when a second jumped on his back taking him down. The first one came back and they had started to double teamed the Railway Cat when Mistoffolees, who was staying back so he could use his magic, blasted the first tom aside with his own lightning allowing Skimble to handle the second. Demeter and Bomba were nearby doing their best to keep toms away from Misto and when a group of four came after him, Tugger jumped in and helped out. For his part, Misto managed to hit one tom from behind as he was sneaking up on Demeter and he went tumbling down the outer part of the junk pile slamming against the fence. Misto couldn't help but grimace slightly; that must've hurt.

Macavity and Munkustrap were locked in a stalemate; neither one could get the upper paw on the other no matter what they tried. That changed however as Demeter suddenly cried out as a tom grabbed her when she was distracted. He turned for a second to see if she was alright and was tackled by Macavity. The two rolled over and over scratching and clawing each other until Macavity finally banged his brother's head against the ground stunning him. He smiled; finally he could finish what he started at the Ball. Just then he was shoved away from his prey; he got to his feet enraged, and for the second time, laid eyes on the Ghost Cat.

Wisp stared at Macavity with anger blazing in his heart. Finally he had Swansea's murderer in front of him. He could feel his power building up inside and Macavity's as well. Thinking about it for a second, he realized that Macavity was his equal in power. Mistoffolees could probably stand up to either of them but he couldn't beat them.

"You killed her," he said accusingly to which Macavity just laughed. Wisp's blood boiled at the sound.

"And it took you this long to figure it out," he sneered, "You're stupider than I thought you were."

Growling, Wisp held out his paw and sent a bolt of lightning at the Hidden Paw who jumped aside, well more like _flew_ aside, which told Wisp he was dealing with a cat the could levitate. He tried again, only this time, Macavity dodged it normally and sent one back at Wisp who instinctively ducked beneath it. The Hidden Paw chuckled as he backed away.

"It's too bad she had to die Wisp," he taunted, "She would've made an excellent whore."

Furious, Wisp threw himself at Macavity who simply levitated over top of him and laughed as Wisp again lunged at him and missed. "You were always weak kitten," he sneered, "I don't know _what_ she saw in you." Wisp didn't lunge this time; instead he imagined anything and everything within range throwing itself at Macavity and the ginger tom was assaulted with a barrage of objects and even he could not evade them all. So he rushed toward the Ghost Cat, who disappeared just as Macavity reached him, the same as he had with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer.

"Enough of this," Macavity roared angrily, "Come out and fight me tom to tom."

He didn't have to ask twice. Wisp appeared in front of him charged; but Macavity once again retreated. He dodged away from Wisp's swipes and climbed the piles of junk heading for the spot where he had knocked out the lights at the Ball. He turned and briefly glanced down to find that nearly his entire group was either dead or gone; once again they had left him alone. Growling, he climbed faster and eventually reached his destination. He quickly found the booster cables and touched them together. They sparked; there was still power running through them. He waited until Wisp came clambering up behind him and stuck the cables on the Ghost Cat's chest sending electricity rippling through him.

The Ghost Cat collapsed and Macavity stood tall with a smug look on his face. He knelt down beside the twitching tom and said, "Say hello to your girlfriend for me." He jabbed the cables down toward Wisp's chest again but the Ghost Cat still had some life left. He grabbed Macavity's wrists and held him back then head butted him in the face knocking him back and making him drop the cables. Slowly climbing to his feet, he made one final lunge and grabbed Macavity's head with both paws. He glanced up for a second and noticed the electrical wires then looked deep into the ginger tom's eyes. Macavity could only give him a look of recognition before Wisp focused every ounce of power down his arms into his paws and into Macavity's body. The junkyard lit up like daytime and some of the Jellicles turned away from the brightness. With the last of his strength, the Ghost Cat lifted Macavity up and held him against the wires sending even more power coursing through the ginger tom but also through Wisp himself. Wisp finally released Macavity whose charred body fell down the outer edge of the junkyard and the Ghost Cat tumbled down to the clearing below.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Time to Heal

Chapter 8: Time to Heal

_Memories flooded his mind. The first time he met Swansea down in Victoria Grove, her shy smile as they talked intriguing him. Wandering the city trying to find the courage to ask her to go out with him…hearing her sweet laugh when he'd finally managed to blurt it out. The softness of her touch as they walked paw in paw wherever they went which made him feel so nervous and yet so alive at the same time. Wandering the city again, summoning up the courage to ask her to mate with him and finding the quaint fish restaurant down by the Thames. Holding her in his arms the night they had mated, savoring every moment. Bringing her to the restaurant he had found and the look on her face when she tasted how good the fish was…Macavity's laugh. They were surrounded by those three alley toms…him fighting them off as best he could while Macavity held her back…watching him rip out her throat and toss her into the water. Black. _

_"The one you seek is their protector. His name…is Munkustrap."_

_"The toms that were with him were also Jellicles…one is called Skimbleshanks…the other…is Mungojerrie. He doesn't go anywhere without his sister…you can find them around Victoria Grove."_

_Using his mind to throw the rocks at their heads…attacking and nearly killing them before the other two showed up…finding the tabby he thought was Skimbleshanks at the train station and brutally killing him. The look on Skimble's face when he saw him…listening to Mistoffolees and Tugger talking and realizing he had killed the wrong cat…so confused…arriving at the junkyard…Munkustrap telling him the truth about what happened. Swansea's murder…hearing Macavity's laugh again…watching him murder his love…springing the trap at the junkyard…chasing Macavity up onto the junk piles…pain…clamping onto his head with both paws…focusing everything he had…searing pain…_

He woke with a cry and looked around the blurred, hazy room. He had no idea where he was only that he was lying on soft blankets and there were at least three figures around him. He couldn't tell what they were doing but the one closest to him seemed vaguely familiar. Turning he could tell it was a tom but with the lighting in the room, he couldn't tell much more than that; except that he was a darkish color. _Wait…tom…dark color…Macavity!_ He growled at reached up wanting to get his paw around that murdering bastard's throat just as he had before…_how did he survive_…and felt paws catch his wrist and another familiar voice speak.

"Whoa! Easy Wisp, calm down," the voice said as it gently lowered his trembling paw, "It's me, Munkustrap. You're safe now."

The anger drained away again and he allowed the silver tabby to set his paw back down at his side. His body ached and burned at the same time making him wince and slowly his vision started to clear. "Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in Jenny's den," Munk answered, "Skimble and Mistoffolees brought you here after you fell." That would explain the third figure he saw when he first woke up. The black tux standing quietly by the door now said, "I'm amazed that you're even alive at all Wisp. For any magical cat to focus all their energy into one burst like that…" He shook his head, clearly in awe of what he'd seen. "…the strain alone should have killed you." Wisp managed a small smirk. "Swansea always told me I was as stubborn as a Peke."

"Ok, I think you two should leave," Jenny said as she came over to Wisp's bed holding a small cup full of medicine, "He needs to rest." With a nod, Munkustrap turned and walked out, Mistoffolees following him. Jenny helped the silver tom to sit up and gave him the medicine. Wisp drank it all, grimaced, then lay back down again. It didn't take too long for the medicine to kick in and he dozed off again.

It wasn't long before Wisp's injuries healed enough to allow him to move. The only serious ones he had were the places where Macavity had nearly electrocuted him with the jumper cables; the two scorched patches of fur would eventually grow back in. He'd asked about the others while he was in Jenny's care and she'd told him there weren't any serious injuries; just cuts and bruises. Jellylorum had taken care of that while she had tended to him. After three days of staying in bed, although it was comfortable, he had to move around. Jenny finally let him leave and he stepped out into the cool early evening air. Some of the kittens were playing tag nearby and as he walked, Electra, intent on keeping away from Tumble who was currently "it" and not watching where she was going, ran headlong into him. The force of the collision almost knocked him over and the kitten stumbled back and fell over. She shook her head and with an embarrassed giggle, looked up starting to apologize and stopped. Seeing who she'd run into, her face changed to a look of fear and she turned and scampered back the way she'd come.

He couldn't blame her. After what he'd done to Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer it was to be expected that some of them would still consider him a threat. And he could see it now on some of their faces as he looked around; Demeter stopped Jemima from getting too close to him and directed her toward the kitten's game of tag and Skimble gave him an uneasy smile as he passed by on his way to work. Glancing up he noticed Alonzo watching him from his perch on top of a junk pile then turned away and continued on his patrol. Wisp figured it was time for him to leave.

"Jenny finally let you go," Munkustrap said as he came up behind Wisp. The silver tom smiled slightly and nodded. "And by the looks of things, I'd better be on my way too," he said catching Victoria's glance just before she disappeared into her den.

Munk nodded but didn't answer. He knew there was no way he could allow Wisp to remain in the junkyard; the majority of the tribe didn't trust him after what they'd seen him do to Macavity as well as his actions against Jerrie and Teazer. It was best to leave him to his own fate. They didn't say anymore and with a last look around the junkyard, Wisp walked toward the main gate and faded away into the darkness of the oncoming night.

He wandered the streets for several hours as the day settled into a cool summer night. He needed to take some time to himself now; allow himself to heal inside. The physical pain would stop fairly quickly; the empty hole in his heart would take much longer. Would he ever truly let her go? Would her memory haunt him the rest of his life? Right now it certainly seemed like it. Looking up, he realized that he had wandered down to the Thames River and he noticed the fish restaurant across the bridge. Just seeing the place again sent a wave of pain knifing through his heart and a fresh memory of the two of them eating there. It seemed so long ago even though he knew it hadn't been. Though he felt that he couldn't go near the place again, the aroma of fish wafted across the water to him making his stomach growl. _Well, maybe once more; for old times sake_.

The chef that he remembered was still there and this time, Wisp actually enjoyed the human petting him; it was soothing in a way. When he went inside and got a piece of fish for him, Wisp quickly washed the fur on his head before he ate, wishing that just for once the human would wash his hands before he came out here. Bast, his hands were grimy. After eating he walked over to the water's edge unknowingly sitting at the spot where she had died. He looked down into the dark rolling waters below, his heart aching fiercely and actually felt a tear slip down his cheek and fall into the water.

"I love you Swansea," he said quietly as he glanced up at the star filled sky, "And I always will." He looked down at the water again as his eyes began to fill up with tears and he brushed them away before standing up and heading toward his home. He had a long fight ahead of him and it was only just beginning.


End file.
